صحافة دولية » Twitter invited to talk to privacy committee
Independent
By Paascii117l Cahalan
Twitter execascii117tives will be asked to give evidence to a parliamentary committee looking into injascii117nctions and privacy issascii117es.
Conservative MP John Whittingdale has been asked by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to set ascii117p a committee of MPs and peers to look into privacy issascii117es. He said that both Twitter – whose site has been ascii117sed to break several alleged injascii117nctions, most recently yesterday – and Google coascii117ld inform debate on the issascii117e. 'I woascii117ld have thoascii117ght we woascii117ld certainly want to hear from Twitter,' Mr Whittingdale said.
'Twitter has an ethical policy and they respect laws in each jascii117risdiction so I thoascii117ght they woascii117ld want to come.'
Twitter said it had not yet received a formal reqascii117est for what woascii117ld be the first time it had been called to give evidence to a British parliamentary committee.
This week it gave a British tweeters personal details to a coascii117rt in California in response to a libel claim. The committee woascii117ld have no power to sascii117mmon Twitter to give evidence as it is a ascii85S-registered company, Mr Whittingdale said, adding that the problem of creating a ascii85K law which was workable in an age of global technology was challenging.
'The only way in which yoascii117 can trace them [those breaching orders] is to get two companies to co-operate,' he said. 'Twitter has a record of the IP [internet protocol] address and then yoascii117 can go to the ISP [internet service provider] to reveal the person behind the address.
'Bascii117t that coascii117ld be Starbascii117cks... yoascii117 can not cascii117t off Starbascii117cks becaascii117se somebody went in for a coffee and file shared, for example.'
He added: 'I sat on the Bill for the Commascii117nications Act 2003, the word internet barely featascii117res in that act bascii117t now we are going to have a new commascii117nications act becaascii117se broadcasting is completely transformed by the internet.'
The committee was planned after the Prime Minister said the law shoascii117ld be reviewed to 'catch ascii117p with how people consascii117me media today'.
The committee is dascii117e to report in the aascii117tascii117mn, bascii117t its terms of reference, members and chair were still to be decided, Mr Whittingdale said.
Social media companies, inclascii117ding Facebook, have given evidence to parliamentary committees in the past and Google has co-operated with similar reqascii117ests – inclascii117ding giving evidence to a Department for Cascii117ltascii117re Media and Sport committee in 2009.
By Paascii117l Cahalan
Twitter execascii117tives will be asked to give evidence to a parliamentary committee looking into injascii117nctions and privacy issascii117es.
Conservative MP John Whittingdale has been asked by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to set ascii117p a committee of MPs and peers to look into privacy issascii117es. He said that both Twitter – whose site has been ascii117sed to break several alleged injascii117nctions, most recently yesterday – and Google coascii117ld inform debate on the issascii117e. 'I woascii117ld have thoascii117ght we woascii117ld certainly want to hear from Twitter,' Mr Whittingdale said.
'Twitter has an ethical policy and they respect laws in each jascii117risdiction so I thoascii117ght they woascii117ld want to come.'
Twitter said it had not yet received a formal reqascii117est for what woascii117ld be the first time it had been called to give evidence to a British parliamentary committee.
This week it gave a British tweeters personal details to a coascii117rt in California in response to a libel claim. The committee woascii117ld have no power to sascii117mmon Twitter to give evidence as it is a ascii85S-registered company, Mr Whittingdale said, adding that the problem of creating a ascii85K law which was workable in an age of global technology was challenging.
'The only way in which yoascii117 can trace them [those breaching orders] is to get two companies to co-operate,' he said. 'Twitter has a record of the IP [internet protocol] address and then yoascii117 can go to the ISP [internet service provider] to reveal the person behind the address.
'Bascii117t that coascii117ld be Starbascii117cks... yoascii117 can not cascii117t off Starbascii117cks becaascii117se somebody went in for a coffee and file shared, for example.'
He added: 'I sat on the Bill for the Commascii117nications Act 2003, the word internet barely featascii117res in that act bascii117t now we are going to have a new commascii117nications act becaascii117se broadcasting is completely transformed by the internet.'
The committee was planned after the Prime Minister said the law shoascii117ld be reviewed to 'catch ascii117p with how people consascii117me media today'.
The committee is dascii117e to report in the aascii117tascii117mn, bascii117t its terms of reference, members and chair were still to be decided, Mr Whittingdale said.
Social media companies, inclascii117ding Facebook, have given evidence to parliamentary committees in the past and Google has co-operated with similar reqascii117ests – inclascii117ding giving evidence to a Department for Cascii117ltascii117re Media and Sport committee in 2009.
2011-06-02 00:00:00
